Portugal’s northern engine is shifting up again. Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport set a new record in 2024 (almost 16 million passengers) and rolled into the summer with 120+ destinations and added frequencies – including a new Porto-Rome Fiumicino link – broadening talent and visitor flows. Metro do Porto’s long‑awaited Pink (G) Line is now slated to launch in 2026, easing crosstown trips. On the eastern edge, the transformation of the vast Campanhã slaughterhouse opens in 2026 with offices, galleries, dining and the new Museu das Convergências – Portugal’s freshest culture‑and‑innovation mash‑up. Watch the #89 ranking for Museums climb.
Capital is following. Porto drew $2.8 billion in FDI between 2020 and 2024, attracted by a workforce skilled in tech, logistics and tourism. Housing remains tight: Porto’s municipal sale prices averaged roughly $331 per square foot in early 2025, with new‑build premiums around transport corridors and green‑certified stock lifting yields for mid‑to‑long‑let strategies. Tourism keeps ascending. The World of Wine (WOW) – seven museums, a wine school and restaurants on the banks of the Duoro – is growing the city’s wine rep beyond the Duoro-side port-tasting rooms. The renovated Bolhão Market is back to being the city’s daily heartbeat, and coastal escapes remain metro‑reachable. Porto is second-city in the very best way.